Cancellation of Tuition Assistance programs leave military students and schools searching for alternatives

The cancellation of Tuition Assistance programs by the Army, Air
Force, Coast Guard and Marines – with a similar decision expected from the Navy
– has left service members upset and colleges and universities scrambling to
find ways to keep military students in class.

The Marines, Army, Coast Guard and Air Force announced
they are cancelling their respective Tuition Assistance programs for all except
for those currently enrolled in classes. Tuition assistance, known in the
military as TA, paid up to $4,500 for active duty personnel, as well as reserve
and guard members, who were working towards a GED, certain technical
certificates or college degrees.

The cancellation is leaving education officials struggling
to keep their military students, both those attending traditional classes or
participating in distance learning, enrolled in school.

Dr. Lance Tatum, vice chancellor of Troy University's Global
Campus, said discussions about possible changes to Tuition Assistance have been
around for several months. He did not expect, however, the programs to be
eliminated.

"We thought there would be a reduction from 100 percent
funding to something lower," he said. "The fact that it's been totally wiped
off the board was a surprise for us."

Troy's Global Campus operates facilities at or near military
bases in the U.S. and three foreign countries. About 1,000 of its students are
in the military.

Tatum said many of his students are in the Army and normally
access TA through the www.goarmyed.com portal. When the Army announced they
were ending the program, the website became inundated with requests and was
shut down, basically blocking out those trying to get their forms in by the
deadline.

Troy's Global Campus operates on five nine-week terms. The
end of term three is nearing and Tatum said students were beginning to register
for term four when the program was cancelled.

"The students wait until they get their term grade back to
start registering for their next class," he said. "What happened with the Army
portal caught a bunch of people off guard."

Tatum said the mission now is trying to work with the
students to keep them informed of their options.

"We're trying to let them know if they are eligible for GI
benefits, trying to communicate their options," he said, adding he felt TA as
it was in the past won't be back.

"100 percent funding was something that was not sustainable
long-term," he said. "Tuition Assistance is a recruiting incentive. If you're
looking to reduce the force, you may not have to recruit in the same way. If it
does come back, it's certainly not coming back the same."

"What we're focusing on is all these students who have
registered for classes but now won't have tuition assistance funding available,
so we're working with them on how you apply for federal funding, how you use
the GI Bill, and other options." Sweizer said. "This is a whole new world for
them. There are used to dealing with individual service portals which are
seamless and provide a virtual application for benefits and now they are going
to have to deal with individual departments and schools."

AMU serves more than 115,000 students through its online
programs, with more than 58 percent of those enrollees being active duty
military. School officials said the majority of students are working on
bachelor's degrees and most bring transfer credits with them. The cancellation
of TA means students are forced to either stop their schooling or find new
funding.

"Considering the number of military students we have, we're
trying to remain optimistic," Sweizer said. "There's no doubt this is going to
be a bump in the road though."

Meanwhile, service members, many of whom joined the military
for access to education funding, are expressing their outrage over the
program's cancellation.

More than 8,700 people have signed an online petition at www.change.org calling on the Senate to
restore the Tuition Assistance Program. Petition signers are asked to give
comments on their reasons for signing, with many saying help with education
funding was a major reason they joined the military.

Meanwhile, students are left wondering about this school
year and those in the future.

Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said no decision has
been made on the long-term future of the TA program.

"We're in a period of terrible budget uncertainty. And this
is one of many programs that we're going to have to look at. This department is
making...multiple decisions that aren't exactly to our liking in some cases. But
we're having to swallow bitter pills, not because we want to pop them, but
because we're forced to make some very tough decisions. That's just the reality
of it," Little said.

Little said he understood the frustration due to the end of
TA, but said sequestration's cuts made the changes inevitable.

"Let me be very clear
about tuition assistance. None of us like to have to make tough choices with
respect to tuition assistance. We're here because of sequestration," he said.
"We have been transparent inside this department and with the American people...
about the consequences of sequestration. This has been a nearly two- year-long
conversation. And it should come as no surprise to anyone that these kinds of
decisions are coming down the pike."